By Your Side
by Pokemon Ranger-Trainer
Summary: Happy and Carla find out who their real parents are. Not long after, Carla has a vision about Trinity Raven. She doesn't know much from the vision, but she does know they are out to kill someone. Happy/Carla romance with possible other pairings. Rated T for probable fight scenes in later chapters.
1. Family Relations

**I do not own Fairy Tail. This first chapter is something I wrote when I realized that Happy and Carla never actually found out about their family ties. The rating is for probable violence in later chapters.**

**Chapter 1: Family Relations**

Happy was in Lucy's house, sitting patiently on her bed. He was told that she and Natsu had a surprise for him. It was unbearably hard to sit still. The knowledge of a surprise for him made his body tingle. He hoped it was fish. Mountains of fish as far as the eye could see. Hey, an Exceed could dream. Happy muttered, "What's taking them so long? Maybe Lucy has some games to play in her dresser." Thus, Happy started going through Lucy's drawers. "There aren't any games in here. Just…is that underwear?"

Happy closed the drawer at exactly the right time, because at that moment, Lucy opened the door. She looked from the bed to the dresser and asked Happy, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Happy replied innocently.

Casting her suspicions aside, Lucy said in a singsongy voice, "Your surprise is here!"

"Oh, boy! I hope it is fish!" Happy exclaimed eagerly.

"Even better," Lucy shook her head, smiling.

"Better than fish? Is it Carla in a wedding dress?!" Happy asked, even more eager. Lucy suddenly wore a mischievous grin on her face.

"You _love_ her!" Lucy claimed, putting emphasis on 'love'. She was mimicking what Happy did to her whenever she was close to a boy. This usually occurred when Loke was out and about.

"That's my shtick!" Happy complained. "Just because you weren't born a cat doesn't mean you have to copy me."

"I'm perfectly fine with being a human!" Lucy informed him defensively. "Just come downstairs." She brought Happy downstairs. Before them were Natsu and two Exceeds. One was a blue-furred female. The other was a white-furred male with a dark-colored beard. Both were in simple clothing, as if they came from farmland. Happy recognized them.

"You're the ones who sheltered Carla and me when we were chased away from Extalia!" Happy realized aloud.

The blue female, Marl, nodded. She said, "Yes. That's right. You said your name was Happy. I remember it like it was yesterday. As you and your friend flew away, I realized something about you."

"Kah! We both did!" the male, Lucky, cut in.

"I caught a glimpse of the lady once and I thought, 'Hey, she looks a lot like Happy.' It took a while, but I finally found them," Natsu added on.

"Okay, but…why did you go through all the trouble?" Happy asked curiously.

"Happy…" Marl smiled warmly. Happy felt a nostalgic aura from her that made him feel safe and cozy. He wasn't sure why.

"Happy, these are your parents. Your real parents," Lucy informed him, overjoyed that Happy could now know who his real mother and father were.

"My…my parents…?" Happy looked everyone in the eye, wondering if it was the truth. Their eyes, though each pair was different, all told him that it was true. Everything suddenly made sense. Happy suddenly ran into Marl's arms and wrapped his own around her. There were tears in his eyes. "Mama…"

"That is so cute!" Lucy whispered excitedly to Natsu, who was now standing next to her.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded in agreement. "…Got anything to eat around here?"

Meanwhile, Wendy had a surprise of her own for Carla. Carla sat alone in Wendy's bedroom, growing impatient. She didn't like waiting. If this surprise was so important, why make her wait? Finally, Wendy came in and told her, "You can come out now. I, uh, I hope you'll be pleased with your surprise."

"You always keep the happiness of others in mind, Wendy. Thank you," Carla left the bedroom, hoping it would have been worth the wait. She ended up finding herself sharing a room with none other than the ruler of the Exceeds, Queen Shagotte. Carla turned to Wendy, asked anxiously, "What is this? What is going on here?"

"Carla, there's something I think you should know. When I first saw you and Queen Shagotte together, something…clicked," Wendy began to explain. She gave a subtle nod to Shagotte.

"Carla," Shagotte started to speak, "as you know, you were one of a hundred eggs sent to Earth Land."

"Yes, I'm aware," Carla nodded, now facing Shagotte. Where was she going with this?

"Allow me to tell you a story. I was giving birth to an egg. When I did, I realized that the egg's vitality was weak. My options were being cut out left and right. More than anything, I wanted my baby to live. So, I sacrificed my right wing so the egg could survive and hatch healthily," Shagotte informed her.

"Was your egg one of the one hundred sent here?" Carla asked, discretely moved by the queen's anecdote.

"Yes, Carla," Shagotte nodded. Carla looked into the eyes of the older Exceed. She saw kindhearted passion and maternal obligation. What did this mean? Carla wasn't entirely sure.

"Did you ever…find your child?" Carla asked cautiously.

"…Yes," Shagotte nodded, tears forming. She bent down and hugged Carla, much to the young cat's surprise. "I have found my child. Oh, Carla…"

"M-mother?" Carla dared to address the queen as her mother.

"Yes, baby. Yes, my child," Shagotte confirmed as she cried tears of joy. "Sending your egg away was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. As I told you before, I wanted you to live more than anything."

"You…you gave up your wing…for me…" Carla felt a tear trickle down her cheek as guilt washed over her.

Shagotte, sensing this, told her, "Don't feel guilty, Carla. To a mother, a wing bears no importance in comparison to a child. You're here now. That's all I could ever want. My wish has come true."

"Aww!" Wendy cooed, deeply moved by her best friend's reunion with her mother.

As sweet as the reunions of parents and children were, not all was well in the land of Fiore. Trinity Raven, a team of three professional assassins, just received a new job. Trinity Raven, consisting of sword empress Ikaruga, wicked rock star Vidaldus Taka, and supposed 'justice bird' Fukuro, was the name of the trio responsible for wiping out an entire army. They were as infamous as they were legendary.

"I like this gig. We'll make sure our target is burning in—" Taka began.

"Justice!" Fukuro suddenly hooted.

"Now, now, boys," Ikaruga said calmly, letting out a faint, amused chuckle, "let's focus and not get too wily. Let us make merry."

That night, Carla was having trouble sleeping. In her sleep, she had a vision. It was a vague vision, but it scared her nonetheless. She saw Trinity Raven. What were they doing? And why did it scare Carla?

The next day, at the Fairy Tail guild, Happy brought his parents to show them around. He made sure to introduce them to as many friends as he had present. Needless to say, Lucky and Marl were amazed at the size of the guild and the people in it. Wendy and Carla were showing Shagotte around the guild, but Carla was mostly quiet throughout the tour.

"Kah! I like that Elfman! He's a real man!" Lucky exclaimed loudly.

"You seem to have made some good friends. I'm so glad that you've been in such loving and capable hands," Marl said to Happy with a genuine smile.

"Do you really think so, Mama?" Happy asked excitedly.

Shagotte was watching the reunited Exceed family and how close they had gotten so quickly. She looked at her quiet daughter, wondering if they would ever have the same relationship. When Wendy guided them back to Fairy Tail's gift shop, she nervously said, "I, uh, I've never been a tour guide before, but I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Fairy Tail."

"I did. Very much. Thank you, Wendy," Shagotte politely thanked the Dragon Slayer. "You have a very nice guild." She then noticed that her daughter's eyes wandered to a stuffed toy on a shelf at the gift shop. The toy looked just like Carla's little friend, Happy. Shagotte looked to Wendy. The two had a silent exchange. Shagotte conveniently had enough money for the doll, so when Wendy took Carla to the real Happy as a distraction, the Exceed ruler bought the stuffed version of Happy.

"Well, see you later, Carla! I still haven't introduced my parents to…oh. That's everyone," Happy bid Carla a fond, short-term farewell and took his parents to see more of the guild.

"Carla?" Shagotte spoke up, holding the Happy doll behind her back. When Carla turned around, Shagotte held out the stuffed Happy. "I seem to have noticed that you seem to like that boy a lot. I know I've missed six birthdays, but I'm hoping this is a start. And I'm sorry for not being there for you all this time."

Carla slowly and graciously accepted the gift from her mother. She hugged the stuffed Happy to her chest, smiled, and looked up at her mother. She said, "I love it. Thank you, Mother! I do like him. A lot." When Shagotte pulled her into a hug, Carla softly informed her, "And…I love you."


	2. Trinity Raven Attacks

**Chapter 2: Trinity Raven Attacks**

A few days later, Carla and Wendy were walking back to Magnolia from their latest assignment. The job was a small one, so with a bit of persuasion and a lot of sneaking and sidestepping, the twosome took the mission on their own. Carla muttered, "It's awfully officious of the others to follow us on even the simplest of missions."

"At least we know that they care…" Wendy mumbled. As they were walking down a forest trail, a man with really long, greasy hair, pale skin, blue face paint, and the word 'skeleton' tattooed to his chest stepped in front of them. He had an ominous looking electric guitar that looked like it had exhaust pipes.

"Hello, ladies. After this concert, you'll be burning in—" the man began to say.

"Justice!" a disembodied voice hooted.

"Blast you, Fukuro! You can't just hoot whenever you want to! Otherwise, I'll see to it that _you're_ the one burning in (expletive bleep, sorry for any complications, etc)!" the wicked looking rock star snapped.

"My apologies, Vidaldus, but I want to see that the princess is brought to justice for her evil deeds," a large, muscular man descended from the sky, utilizing two large rockets strapped to his back. He had the head of an owl.

"Princess…?" Carla echoed softly, dread gradually filling her mind.

"Wait a minute! Y-you're—" Wendy started stammering.

"That's right," Vidaldus Taka flashed a creepy smile at her. "We're members of Team Trinity Raven." He then played a loud riff on his guitar, and Carla and Wendy had to cover their ears.

"Hoo!" the birdman, Fukuro, attempted a swing at Carla, who noticed in the nick of time and narrowly dodged.

"Why are you attacking us?!" Wendy screamed. Taka was playing his guitar so loud, her screams were barely audible.

Taka seemed to hear her and he grinned a wicked grin. He shouted, "Oh, yeah! We've got a hot gig for a sweet sum of money, honey! Now burn! Rock of S—"

"Fire Dragon Roar!" a familiar voice shouted. A stream of fire was shot at Taka, who jumped back, stopping his loud, obnoxious guitar noise.

"N-Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed happily.

"Happy…" Carla smiled. The duo of Natsu and Happy had arrived to rescue them. Along with them were Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, and Gray Fullbuster.

"I don't know why you guys are after them, but Fairy Tail looks out for its own. So whatever you're after, you can forget about it," Natsu informed them.

"Is that so, Salamander?" Fukuro asked.

Suddenly, a sword appeared in Erza's hand and she ran at Carla at breakneck speed. Carla was too shocked to ask what Erza was doing, but the next thing she knew, Erza was behind her, blocking the attack of a pink haired woman wearing a kimono. Cherry blossom petals swirled around the woman. It was Trinity Raven's leader, Ikaruga, utilizing her trusty katana, Mugetsu-Ryu. Erza spoke, "So, we meet again."

"It would appear that way," Ikaruga jumped backwards, performed a midair flip, and landed on her feet. "This time, the job doesn't concern you. Stand aside or you will be cut down as well."

"What do you want with them?" Erza demanded.

"It's me they want…" Carla felt tears in her eyes, her voice no louder than a whisper. She sank to her knees. Guilt washed over her. Her friends could get hurt or worse. It would have been on her account if that happened. "Maybe I should surrender myself…"

"Don't be silly, Carla," Happy's voice reached out to her. She gasped, looked up, and saw him standing in front of her. He helped her up and said, "You mean so much to me. I don't want to lose you. Not to them or anyone else."

"H-Happy…" Carla felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Happy held her paw and the two ran off. While they ran, Carla asked, "Happy, why don't we fly away?"

"I think we'll be safer below the tree line. That birdman is a crazy super killer, and he can fly, too. He'd have no trouble catching up to us with those rockets. At least we can hide on the ground if we need to," Happy replied, guiding her to safety.

Carla didn't want to show it, but she was surprised at how logical and serious Happy was being right then and there. "And you really meant what you said? About not wanting to lose me?"

"Aye!" Happy replied. Carla smiled, feeling blessed to have Happy. She knew she would be safe as long as they were together. She was so moved, she almost didn't notice a majority of their fellow guild members charge past them in the opposite direction. Happy explained, "They're reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements?" Carla echoed.

"Like Natsu said, we look out for each other at Fairy Tail," Happy smiled a determined smile.

Meanwhile, at the fight between Fairy Tail and Trinity Raven, the reinforcements arrived. Taka grinned wickedly and shouted, "Oh, yeah! A bigger audience!"

"…Retreat," Ikaruga gave an order that everyone found rather odd.

"Huh?" Taka tilted his greasy head.

"Hoo?" Fukuro tilted his head a full ninety degrees.

"Even we can't take on Fiore's most powerful guild all at once. This isn't over," Ikaruga decided. She and Taka climbed onto Fukuro and the trio flew away.

"Get back here!" Natsu shouted at them, brandishing his fist.

"Don't waste your fire breath, Natsu. Those jets are too fast for us to catch," Gray reasoned with him.

"I still want revenge on that justice bird guy for eating me like a sandwich!" Natsu growled.

"Wendy," Makarov spoke up. Wendy looked down at the elderly guild master, giving him her undivided attention. "Is there anyone you know who would want to see Carla dead?"

"I-I don't think so…" Wendy nervously shook her head.

"Are you sure?" Makarov urged.

"Whoever hired them could want Carla for ransom. She is the daughter of a queen," Gray suggested.

"My beloved Gray has an excellent point!" Juvia Lockser agreed, head over heels for Gray.

"But Extalia was destroyed. Isn't the Exceed kingdom kind of…dissolved?" Lucy asked.

"I guess it would be," Cana nodded, finding Lucy's theory more than probable.

"This is giving me such a headache!" Natsu complained. Erza knocked him out.

"Thank you, Erza," Gray thanked Erza for knocking the consciousness (and possibly other things) out of Natsu.

_I should have thought of that!_ Juvia thought, paranoid that Gray would start to gravitate towards Erza.

"They weren't real men!" Elfman bellowed. "Now, Happy's birthfather, on the other hand, may be a cat, but he is _all man_!"

"What's with you and being a man, anyway?" Wakaba Mine asked curiously with a smoking pipe between his lips.

"What's with you and smoking and pompadour hair?" Elfman countered.

"Touché," Wakaba said.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, Happy and Carla ran in. Holding down the fort while the others were gone were Mirajane Strauss, Levy McGarden, Iron Dragon Slayer Gajeel, and Pantherlily, a fellow Exceed. Mirajane, with a worried look in her gentle eyes, sighed with relief, saying, "Thank goodness you're back."

"Yeah. It'd be boring if I was the only Dragon Slayer with a cat," Gajeel added.

"You should be safe now," Happy said to Carla.

"I've been safe," Carla hugged his arm, "since you came for me."


	3. Investigation

**Here's chapter 3. Makarov gets a sneaking suspicion about who hired Trinity Raven. The rest of Fairy Tail…well, they don't really do anything out of the ordinary if you know this guild. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Investigation**

The members of Fairy Tail came back from their encounter with Trinity Raven. The moment Natsu entered the guild, he shouted, "Those bozos ran off!"

"Is Carla here? Is she safe?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"She's fine," Mirajane ensured, standing behind the bar. "She and Happy are back here with me."

"Needless to say, I'm not thrilled about this attack on my queen's daughter," Pantherlily muttered, crossing his arms.

"Master, they will be back. What do you plan to do about it?" Erza asked curiously.

"Hmm…" Makarov contemplated the situation for a moment. "I will look deeper into it. Everyone else, go about your daily business."

"But Gramps, we can't just do nothing!" Gray shouted out.

"A fellow Fairy Tail friend has been targeted. We're men! We're not just going to sit around!" Elfman agreed.

"I'm going to kick their butts so hard, they'll hit the moon!" Natsu shouted, enraged and still seeking vengeance on Fukuro for swallowing him like an owl eating a mouse.

"That's enough! All of you dunderheads keep quiet!" Makarov shouted. The guild fell silent. Makarov continued, "I don't like it. However, I can't think of a soul in Fiore who would want to see Carla dead but not Wendy. There are a lot of pieces hidden in this jumbled up mess of a jigsaw puzzle. It may take weeks or even months to figure out who hired those three mercenaries, so we cannot let it cloud our focus."

There was a faint weeping sound coming from behind the bar. Mirajane looked down and off to the left to see Carla crying on Happy's shoulder. It broke her heart to see the little white cat cry. Mira asked, "What's wrong, Carla?"

"If-if anyone g-gets hurt p-protecting me, I'll n-never forgive myself," Carla sobbed as Happy lovingly held her.

"Carla, don't be silly. We're Fairy Tail. We're not just friends. We're a family. You're one of us. You'll always be worth protecting," Happy softly reassured.

"Oh, Carla…" Wendy felt like she was going to start crying. She felt like she had let her best friend down somehow.

"Hmm…" Makarov seemed to be deep in thought.

"Master?" Mirajane called out to him.

"Hmm…no, that wouldn't make much sense. But still…" Makarov muttered.

"What are you talking about, Gramps?" Gray asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh, me? Ah, I'm just babbling," Makarov shrugged and scratched the back of his head. Inside, he was thinking about an old adversary. _It wouldn't make much sense, but if I'm right, then this may be a case of vengeance…_

"We've all been in situations of doubt and fear. Where we were in the line of fire, but wanted to surrender instead of seeing our guild mates get hurt," Lucy informed Carla from the other side of the bar. "I know I have."

"Really, Lucy?" Carla looked up and behind her. A tear dangled in her eye. Lucy reached down and gave her a handkerchief to wipe the tear away, and Carla graciously accepted. Happy noticed Carla hold a blue stuffed animal in her arm, and then he realized it was him in the form of a stuffed animal.

"Mira, hold down the fort," Makarov grabbed his coat, the one with the Wizard Saints' emblem on it. "I'm going out."

"Be careful, Master!" Mirajane called out to him.

"Aren't I always?" Makarov called back.

"Well…" Mirajane replied softly, her voice trailing off. She decided it would be most respectful not to finish her thought.

Gajeel approached Levy with a proposition. He said to her, "I have an idea."

"Yes, Gajeel?" Levy looked up at him from the book that she was reading.

"I'm going to find you a cat!" Gajeel decided.

"A…cat?" Levy tilted her head quizzically. "Like Lily?"

"Yes! You may not be a Dragon Slayer, but you sure as heck deserve your own cat partner," Gajeel grinned a determined grin.

"Well, it's nice of you to think of me," Levy blushed and smiled.

"I just figured since there are so many Exceeds in our world now, you'd be interested," Gajeel explained. "Now what do you see in a cat partner?"

"I guess someone who likes to read," Levy began.

Levy's teammates, Jet and Droy, watched Levy and Gajeel in envy. Droy muttered, "Look at them…"

"What does she see in him?" Jet asked in a low grumble.

Cana walked over to Mira and asked, "Have you seen my barrel anywhere?"

"You mean the big one you're always drinking out of?" Mirajane asked innocently. "It took up too much room on the bar, so I put it on one of the tables."

"Okay. Thanks," Cana nodded and started to walk away.

"D-don't you think you should tone the drinking down a little, though?" Mirajane asked one of the most daring questions a person could as in Fairy Tail.

"Do you think I have a problem?" Cana turned around slowly and asked menacingly.

"What?! You? No!" Mirajane chuckled nervously, panicking on the inside. _That was close…_

Reedus Jonah worked his way behind the bar. He asked, "Excuse me, Mira; you don't mind if I'm back here for a little while, do you?"

"No, of course not, Reedus," Mirajane nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Reedus whispered and pointed his paintbrush at Carla and Happy. They were still in their cuddling position from when Happy was holding Carla and providing her solace, but they had fallen asleep.

"Aww!" Mirajane cooed. "They're so cute!"

Reedus started painting a picture of Happy and Carla as they were.

Erza was sitting at a table, eating a piece of strawberry shortcake. Her favorite. Wakaba walked up to her and sat down across from her, leaning forward. He was smoking a cigarette, as he usually was when he wasn't smoking a pipe. He asked, "So, Erza, what's it like to wear heavy armor? I'm a bit curious."

"To me, like regular clothing," Erza replied, pulling her cake closer to her so Wakaba's ashes wouldn't fall onto it.

"Really?" Wakaba leaned in closer. Erza put a hand on his face, made her arm thrust outward, and Wakaba flew into the wall. Dizzily, he said, "I guess now was a bad time…I'll just stick with my magic…"

"Yep. That's Erza for you," Gray muttered, wearing only his underwear.

"Gray, your clothes," Cana called over to him, taking a breath after drinking who-knows-how-much.

"Yeah. Thanks," Gray nodded to her. He reached for his clothes, but they weren't where he had put them. "Huh? Where the…?"

"Over here!" Natsu called over to Gray, snickering mischievously. He was burning Gray's clothes.

"Natsu!" Gray yelled angrily and charged at Natsu. They began a tussle.

"Real men would take it outside!" Elfman snapped at them, and they both punched him in the face.

"I want in on this!" Gajeel jumped up and entered the fight.

"Me, too!" Macao ran into the tussle.

"Wait for me!" Wakaba wobbled in, thankful that his head stopped spinning at exactly the right time.

"Why can't I ever have a drink in peace?" Cana muttered and walked over to the bar. She looked over the bar to see that Happy and Carla were still asleep. "Wow. I'm impressed. They are actually sleeping through this nonsense."

"It is finished!" Reedus announced excitedly. He showed his painting to Cana and Mirajane. It was so well painted; it almost looked like a photograph.

"Aww!" Cana and Mirajane cooed. "They're so cute!"

"Can I see?" Lucy wanted to see the painted picture, and when she did, her reaction was the same was Mira and Cana's.

Suddenly, Mirajane remembered that the guild members were in an all-out brawl again. She desperately cried out, "You guys! Please stop it! You're going to wake the sleeping kitties! And Master Makarov isn't going to be pleased if the guild hall is torn apart! Hello?!"

"That's enough, everyone," Cana announced calmly and took out one of her cards.

"Stay out of it!" Gray snapped.

"Come here, you!" Natsu breathed fire at Gray. The ice wizard dodged, and all Natsu ended up doing was burning Erza's cake to a crisp.

"My…strawberry cake…" Erza spoke slowly, in shock. She turned towards the fight. "YOU MORONS!" She jumped into the brawl.

"This is getting insane!" Lucy panicked. "Even for them, this is getting insane!"

"KAAAAAH!" a familiar voice shouted out loudly. The fight stopped and looked towards the source of the sound. It was Happy's father, Lucky. He snapped, "If you were real men, you would have taken this outside!"

"That's what I said!" Elfman agreed.


	4. A Rainy Day

**Chapter 4: A Rainy Day**

The next day came around. It was raining in Magnolia. That only slightly, if at all, altered the mood of the Fairy Tail guild. Lucky remarked, "Kah! Maybe I should join. That'll put some food on the table."

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed happily. He then looked to his left to find Carla at a table with Lisanna and Wendy. They must have been trying to console her about the attack the day before. She was hugging her stuffed Happy, whom she named Mini Happy, and she had a sad facial expression on her, as the term 'facial' suggests, face. He flew over to her. "Carla? Are you alright?"

"Happy, I…" Carla began. Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to admit it, but Happy knew what she was going to say. She was scared. Her grip on Mini Happy tightened, and then the real Happy placed a paw on top of one of hers. She gazed into his loving eyes with her own teary pair of eyes.

"That son of yours is certainly something special," Shagotte said to Marl.

"That pink haired fellow—Natsu—he named our son appropriately. I couldn't have named him better myself. Happy…" Marl smiled at how compassionate her son was. "Your daughter is adorable, by the way."

"Thank you," Shagotte nodded politely. "I feel like she has a somewhat hardened heart, but your son seems to be able to break through her shell just fine."

"I think she just has a bit of a serious nature," Marl said, smiling. "I remember when Lucky and I sheltered her and Happy. She had a bit of a sad scowl on her face up until a certain point. Until I saw her smile, I was disappointed. She has such an adorable face."

"Carla…" Shagotte spoke no louder than a whisper. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marl smile at her. "I want to apologize for banishing you."

"I understand. You couldn't tell me because you didn't want your people to panic. You didn't have many options, so looking back, I think it was a very wise choice. Banishment opened my eyes, Shagotte," Marl told her. "I realized then that Exceeds are not angels or gods. We're not above humanity. I suppose you could say I was enlightened."

"Enlightenment…" Shagotte smiled. "If it's not too much trouble, may we be…friends?"

"…I'd like that," Marl nodded. She always found a reason to smile. Shagotte found that to be an admirable trait.

"I found it!" Natsu suddenly shouted, reaching under a chair.

"Found what?" Lucy asked, as it was her chair he was reaching under.

"This!" Natsu stuck a bottle cap in her face. "It's made of solid gold!"

"WHAT?! GOLD?!" everyone exclaimed, astonished.

Lucy closely examined the bottle cap. She shook her head, "No. It's just painted gold."

"How do you know?!" Natsu demanded.

"Give it here," Lucy took the bottle cap and scratched it with her finger nail. Underneath what was truly gold paint was green plastic. "It's just a regular bottle cap. Sorry, Natsu."

"Darn it," Natsu hung his head in disappointment.

"So, Master," Mirajane addressed Makarov, "how did your investigation go?"

"I have a dreadful hunch. Let's leave it at that," Makarov sighed. Mirajane didn't like the tone in his voice. It worried her. She worried for Carla's sake and safety even more.

Erza suddenly grabbed Natsu by the neck, brandished her fist in his face, and said, "You owe me a piece of strawberry shortcake, Natsu!"

"You want to fight?" Natsu smirked.

"No. I want cake because you completely scorched the one I was eating yesterday!" Erza punched him in the face, sending him into the wall in the exact spot she threw Wakaba in the day before.

"Whoa! She means business!" Lucy exclaimed with a mixture of fear and admiration in her voice. Erza certainly was strong, which was exactly why she earned the title of S-Class wizard.

"She's the man!" Elfman announced, and Lucky nodded in agreement.

"She's not a man!" Lucy informed them, but they acted like they didn't hear her.

Gray, who was in his underwear again, asked, "What about when she and Happy switched bodies?"

"Gray's got a point," Macao acknowledged.

"I remember it like it was several yesterdays ago," Wakaba sighed nostalgically.

"Erza Marie Scarlet, put down that axe!" Natsu scolded as he ran for his life.

"My middle name is not Marie!" Erza informed him as she chased him.

"Pipe down!" Makarov shouted. "Erza, you'll get your cake. Natsu, her middle name is not Marie. Though," Makarov paused, holding a drink mug in his hand, "she does kind of look like a Marie."

"That's enough for you, Master," Mirajane took the mug away.

"Such an eccentric guild," Marl mumbled.

"Kah! I like it!" Lucky nodded approvingly.

Gajeel walked in, carrying an enormous canvas under one arm. He asked, "Where's the painter?"

"You mean me?" Reedus asked with a hand up.

"Yeah! You ready?" Gajeel asked. Everyone but Reedus seemed clueless. The painter wizard got up and began to paint on the enormous canvas, which lay horizontally as opposed to the standard vertical position.

"Uh, Gajeel, I don't think a billboard will be necessary," Levy said with a slight, awkward chuckle.

"Nonsense. If you want a cat, you've gotta go big!" Gajeel disagreed.

"He sure loves cats," Lucy muttered.

"Aye! What's not to love?" Happy asked, finding the question rhetorical.

"Well, they're always breaking into my house. Then again, so do a lot of humans," Lucy muttered in response.

"It's a nice home," Erza complimented. She was often one of the trespassers.

"Oh, thank you!" Lucy accepted the compliment.

Juvia ran in, exclaiming, "This rain is not my fault! I swear!"

"Don't sweat it, Juvia. We all know you have control over it now, so just chill," Gray assured her.

"Okay!" Juvia immediately and happily obeyed. She was blushing and swooning on the inside. _He's in his underwear…_

Lucky walked over to his wife and informed her, "So, Marl, I've been thinking about joining Fairy Tail."

"I don't think it sounds like a bad idea," Marl smiled and said, taking Lucky over to a corner to finish her thought. "But when he gets older, Happy's probably going to want some space."

"Kah! Space? This place is enormous!" Lucky argued.

"I guess you have a point," Marl sighed, finding her husband's point somewhat irrelevant. "Well, Macao's son wants to join this guild someday, so I suppose…"

"Great!" Lucky nodded excitedly.

"I haven't seen you this excited since I told you I was pregnant," Marl smiled.

Makarov extended his arm over to Juvia, tapped her shoulder, and guided her over to him. She asked, "You wanted to see me, Master Makarov?"

"Yes. Have you been in contact with any of the Element Four since Phantom Lord was dissolved?" Makarov asked sternly and seriously.

"No, sir. The only one from Phantom Lord that I've talked to in any way since then is Gajeel," Juvia shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Makarov simply said. "Nothing more than a hunch. Thank you."

Meanwhile, Gajeel, Pantherlily, Levy, and Reedus were trying to come up with a slogan for the billboard. Gajeel suggested, "How about 'Calling all Exceeds who can read'?"

"There's a difference between liking to read and being able to read," Pantherlily pointed out.

"How about we paint Levy's face on it, and a speech bubble saying 'If books are your favorite treat, we simply must meet'?" Reedus suggested.

"Okay, you guys, there's more to my life than books!" Levy informed them.

"Like what?" Pantherlily asked with crossed arms.

"Aquatic life," Levy began to list things she liked. To Pantherlily's surprise, Gajeel was writing what Levy said down.

Back with Happy and Carla, Happy wrapped an arm around Carla and his other paw was still on top of hers. Their tails entwined. Happy said, "I can see why you're worried. It's alright. You mean so much to a lot of people here. At any given time, no matter when or where, if one of our own is in danger, we'll come running to help. That's what guilds are for. That's what friends are for."

"Happy," Carla responded, "that is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."


	5. Tiara

**Chapter 5: Tiara**

The sun was out the next day. However, there were not a lot of great jobs, so a lot of the guild members at Fairy Tail just sat around, going about their leisurely business. Natsu finally gave Erza a new piece of strawberry cake.

"I didn't want my bell rung over a piece of cake," Natsu mumbled.

"So, you've been thinking about joining Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked, speaking to Lucky, Marl, and Shagotte.

"Kah!" Lucky nodded.

"Yeah! We've got a real man rolling in! Woo!" Elfman whooped.

"Well, I'm sure you still have a few questions, so I'm going to give you this to look over," Makarov held out a brochure.

Before her husband could remark about men not needing brochures about places they're already standing in, Marl graciously took the brochure. She bowed politely, saying, "Thank you." She turned to her husband and said, "I am not a man and our son's existence can prove it."

"How'd you know what I was going to say?" Lucky asked curiously.

"We've been married for a while now, Lucky," Marl smiled.

Shagotte wasn't sure what use she would be to the guild. She could barely fly with her single wing. However, she desperately wanted to be with her daughter. She wanted to get close to her and try to make up for six lost years. Six years of going to bed wondering what her offspring was doing. Six years of waking up, hoping her child had a warm place to sleep. Shagotte glanced over at her daughter, who was cuddling with a small, stuffed, blue cat doll that she had named Mini Happy.

Makarov interrupted her thoughts, asking, "Won't the guild take up your time, Your Highness?"

"I am only a queen by name. My kingdom has fallen. My subjects are scattered across Earth Land. The families that I have broken all of those years ago have been fixed. I have no need for the title of 'queen' anymore," Shagotte replied. "Besides, I am not sure I would bring much to your guild. I just want to have a relationship with my daughter."

"I understand. I've been in a situation somewhat similar to yours. However, there are two major differences between your connection with your daughter and my connection with my son," Makarov spoke, catching her attention.

"Master…" Mirajane, standing nearby, said sympathetically.

"You did what you had to in order to protect your child. You've restored lost touch with your child," Makarov told Shagotte, implying that he had not. Makarov had exiled his son from Fairy Tail a long time ago.

"Hey, Gray," Happy, sitting alone at a table, called over.

"Yeah, Happy?" Gray approached him.

"I need you to do me a favor," Happy told him and then explained what he needed Gray for.

Gray smiled, took off his shirt, and told Happy, "Sure. I like ice sculpting."

Meanwhile, Natsu dragged Carla and Cana over to a table and shouted, "FORTUNE TELLING CONTEST!"

"Say what?" Cana asked, giving Natsu a funny look.

"Pardon me?" Carla questioned, straightening her dress.

"Think about it! It's perfect!" Natsu exclaimed. "Cana, you can predict the future with your card magic!"

"Yeah. Want to know what I predict is going to happen to you in five minutes?" Cana asked slyly, annoyed that she was forcefully dragged over to a table to take part in some psychic contest against a cat with a stuffed toy version of Happy.

"Save your magic energy for the contest," Natsu instructed. "And you, Carla," he grabbed her head from either side, got his face really close to hers, and stared her right in the eye, "can see the future using that pretty little head of yours."

"Get out of my face," Carla simply replied, also annoyed. Natsu backed away from her.

"I've gotta see this!" Wakaba approached.

"I'm rooting for you, Cana," Macao informed her supportively.

"Quick, start telling people's fortunes!" Natsu instructed.

"I'm going to pulverize you," Cana predicted, not even glancing at her cards. She stood up, punched him in the face, and sat back down.

"That's even colder than Gray!" Natsu protested.

"Hey, I'm trying to help your little buddy out with something! I really don't think I deserve your sass right now!" Gray shouted over at Natsu.

Juvia got down on her knees in front of Carla and Cana, begging, "Please, please, will you tell me if Gray and I will ever get married?! And will we have 33 babies?!"

"That's a pretty high number," Cana remarked.

"That's an absurd number!" Carla commented.

"That's my dream number!" Juvia informed them menacingly. After the two fortune-tellers cowered, Juvia stopped being scary. She asked, "Should I start speaking in the third person?"

"You know, I don't think it could hurt," Cana shrugged.

Carla tried to force a vision to see whether or not Juvia would have such an absurd number of children. Instead, she saw herself. She looked scared in her vision. Why? Was she going to be attacked by Trinity Raven again? Carla's pupils shrank. She hugged Mini Happy to her face and sank to her knees.

"Carla? Earth to Carla," Cana called out Carla's name and snapped her fingers in front of Carla's face.

"Carla?" Wendy ran over to them, concerned.

"I…I'm fine," Carla assured and rose to her feet. "I suppose I simply had a bad daydream. Nothing to fear."

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked, still concerned. "Do you have a headache? Nausea?"

"No, no, everything's fine," Carla tried to reassure, but she was not very convinced of that herself.

"Okay," Wendy nodded. She did not sound very convinced either, but she was going to trust Carla's words.

Makarov witnessed the whole thing from a distance. His eyes narrowed.

"Master, something's bothering you," Mirajane noticed. "Does it have to do with your investigation?"

"…We'll know soon enough, won't we?" Makarov asked rhetorically. He didn't intend on giving away information that would stir up panic. Still, he felt sorry for poor Carla. The poor little female cat was probably frightened out of her wits, and he could tell that she was trying to keep a brave face on.

"Thanks, Gray!" Happy thanked Gray for his assistance.

"No problem. Anytime you need a model, just call me over and leave it to my maker magic," Gray nodded. "Go get her, tiger."

"Aye!" Happy nodded. He flew over to Carla and stood next to her on the table. He informed her, "I designed this for you." He held out a beautiful tiara that he had crafted by paw. "Gray made a model to help me."

"Oh, Happy," Carla was deeply touched by Happy's gift.

"May I?" Happy asked, holding the tiara up a little higher.

"You may," Carla smiled and bowed her head. Happy gently placed the tiara on her head. A perfect fit. She lifted her head. "Thank you, Happy. You…you're so nice to me. I don't know why…"

"What do you mean?" Happy tilted his head.

"It's just that…I wouldn't even call you by your name at first. I ignored you. I was mean to you. And yet, you've stood by me," Carla explained.

"Well, of course!" Happy smiled. He took her paws in his own, saying, "I want to be the kind of cat that you can depend on."

"Oh, Happy!" Carla hugged Happy tightly. She didn't even realize that she was hugging him for a moment. When she did finally realize it, she blushed deeply. Happy responded by giving her a protective hug.

"Am I that kind of cat?" he asked.

"Yes. You are that kind of cat," Carla nodded.

"Isn't that precious, dear?" Marl asked her husband. She was smiling, and tears were coming to her eyes.

"It reminds me of when you and I first dated," Lucky responded.

"How so?" Marl asked quizzically, turning to her husband.

"You were hugging a man who wanted to give his life for you," Lucky replied.

"Aww! Lucky!" Marl exclaimed and hugged her husband.

"At least, I think that's how it went. Or maybe that was when we got engaged," Lucky said, trying to remember.

Shagotte smiled, remembering her first love. Then, her thoughts went back to Carla. That look on her face could have only meant that she foresaw something that would terrify her.

Later that evening, when Wendy and Carla got home, Wendy took off her shoes and Carla flew up to their room. She placed Mini Happy on the bed. A piece of paper was caught in the window, fluttering in the window outside. Carla snatched the paper and found writing on it. She read aloud, softly, to herself. "'The fairies will fall, starting with you.'" Carla didn't like the sound of that one bit. She looked in a nearby mirror and saw that she had the same look on her face that she wore in the vision. That terrified look in her eyes.


	6. The Note

**Here's chapter 6! Makarov is going to try to bring the big mystery to a close. And then, something else happens.**

**Chapter 6: The Note**

The next day, somber Carla trudged into the guild. Wendy walked in behind her, visibly worried. Carla sprouted her wings, flew over to Makarov, and gave him the note she had found the evening before. Makarov read it and crumpled it angrily in his hands. He snapped, "How dare someone threaten one of my Fairy Tail children?!"

"May I?" Mirajane held her hand out towards the note. Makarov gave it to her. She unfolded the crumpled piece of paper and read it. "'The fairies will fall, starting with you.' Oh, my!"

"The worst part," Carla spoke, trembling, "is that we found it at home. They know where we live and they've seen where we sleep." She couldn't hold back her tears much longer. The whole situation was becoming too overwhelming.

"Carla," Happy spoke up. He gave the white furred cat a supportive and protective hug. Consoling her, he claimed, "I promise that I won't let you fall. I'll die before I let that happen."

"Happy…" Carla looked Happy in the eyes, her own eyes overflowing with tears. She couldn't hold back any longer and began to weep in his arms. She wept, "I'm so scared!"

"I know you are. I would be, too," Happy nodded. "It's alright to be scared. Someone is out there and wants to hurt you. But you don't need to worry. You'll always have me and your other Fairy Tail friends to back you up."

"Wow. He is really good with women," Macao admired.

"Some women," Lucy added. "I still haven't forgotten about when he converted my weight into tons."

"Did he do the math right?" Macao asked curiously.

"I always knew he could handle the metric system," Wakaba sighed happily, leaning back. "Why are the pretzels dancing?" Macao slowly took his mug away from him, but he took it back. "Get your own."

"I want to make sure you don't drink and smoke at the same time," Macao shrugged.

"One time! One time that happened!" Wakaba exclaimed defensively.

"He's a real man!" Elfman bellowed, referring to Happy.

"Kah! Of course he is! He's my son after all!" Lucky pointed out boastingly.

"You know what, Lucky? We should go on a job together!" Elfman suggested.

"Kah! I like the sound of that!" Lucky nodded in approval. The duo of human and Exceed went over to the job board.

"Well, it looks like our brother found the man of his dreams," Lisanna sighed and smiled awkwardly, sitting by the bar where Mirajane was working.

"Yep. It would appear that way," Mirajane nodded in agreement.

"You know, from the moment I met Papa, I knew that those two would get along well," Happy admitted.

"I think your dad will fit in just fine around here, Happy," Natsu assured confidently. Then, he left.

"So, Gramps, when did you say you became guild master?" Gray interrogated curiously.

"Oh, I suppose I was maybe about forty years old, give or take a few years," Makarov recalled. "Ah, I remember the good old days. It felt like my team was practically unstoppable. Ah, yes, those were the days. Honestly, though, I'm honored to be this guild's third master. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Excuse me, Master Makarov," Marl approached him. "If you are the third guild master, who was the first?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked, Marl. As a new member, you do deserve to know about the guild's history. Well, a long time ago, Fairy Tail was founded by an ambitious young girl who dreamed big and soared high. Her name was Mavis Vermillion," Makarov explained. "She got Fairy Tail started off on the right steps. Who knows where we would be today if she didn't? As a result, her burial ground is on an island that we consider being Fairy Tail's holy island. It's also where we hold the annual S-Class promotional trials."

"I see," Marl nodded, seeming to understand. "It sounds like she was a very inspirational young woman."

"Yes," Makarov nodded, glancing at the threatening note that Carla had given him to examine. He knew that Master Mavis would not want a member of Fairy Tail to feel endangered, and now he was certain about who hired Trinity Raven. All he needed was a baseline comparison for the handwriting. "Mira, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes, Master Makarov?" Mirajane stood at attention.

"I'd like you to get in touch with the other guild masters. Ask them if they've seen any former S-Class Phantom Lord wizards aside from Juvia and Gajeel recently," Makarov instructed. "And any members of the Raven Tail guild, too. It doesn't go with my hunch, but I don't want to rule anything out."

"Raven Tail? Why not the Death's Head Order guild, where Trinity Raven belongs?" Mirajane questioned.

"Other than Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Lucy overpowering those three, I doubt Death's Head Order, otherwise known as Death's Head Caucus, has anything against us," Makarov explained.

"I suppose you're right…" Mirajane sighed and went upstairs.

"I have some searching to do myself," Makarov claimed. He attempted to jump up onto the ledge of the next floor, but he was a tad too low, hitting the rail. He adjusted himself, standing on the rail.

"You two never finished that contest!" Gajeel dragged Carla and Cana over to the table Natsu had taken them to the day before.

"Fine," Cana complied.

"I suppose it's best to get it over with," Carla sighed. "Wakaba will drink while smoking again."

Thus, Wakaba did.

"Natsu will walk into the guild with a dart board that has Fukuro's face on it," Cana predicted.

"You got all that from some cards? Wow, Cana! You've truly improved a lot!" Lisanna admired.

"Hi, guys!" Natsu walked in with a dart board tucked under his arm. On that board was surely a picture of Fukuro's head.

"Gray is about to get wet," Carla predicted. Just then, Juvia jumped into Gray's arms, splashing him with her water body.

"Lucky and Elfman are going to walk in here with 6000 Jewel," Cana predicted.

"3000 Jewel each," Elfman decided as he and Lucky walked in.

"Kah! That's fair," Lucky nodded approvingly. "That was a fun job. Probably just as fun as tilling the soil."

"That's fun?" Happy asked.

"After a while, it is," Lucky nodded.

"May I enter this contest?" Shagotte asked.

"You want to go up against your own daughter?!" Lucy questioned, shocked.

"Erza will awaken her musical side!" Carla and Cana predicted at the same time. Just then, Erza became equipped with an accordion and attempted to play 'The Can-Can'.

"A spirit will appear of its own will!" Shagotte predicted.

"Would you like some lemonade, Princess?" Virgo suddenly appeared next to Lucy. She was holding a platter covered in glasses filled with lemonade.

"What the?!" Lucy exclaimed, shocked.

"This is getting comically out of hand," Wendy sighed and said softly.

Luckily, the contest seemed to distract Carla from her present problem and put her in a good mood. Happy was glad that Carla was in a good mood. Seeing her so afraid simply made his heart ache. No one deserved to live their life in fear or too be too afraid to go to sleep at night, especially not Carla. Not in Happy's opinion.


	7. Table for Whom?

**Here's chapter 7! For some reason, I randomly thought of the time when I went to a hibachi restaurant a few months ago. Then, this came out. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Table for Whom?**

The following day, the team dubbed Fairy Tail's strongest team (possibly also the strangest team) completed a mission and—shockingly—didn't demolish the town the job was in. So, Erza decided, "Tonight, we celebrate!"

"I don't feel like I burned enough stuff," Natsu claimed, unused to the lack of destruction.

"Finally, a mission where you all didn't destroy anything," Lucy sighed in relief. She was getting tired of having to pay for damages out of her reward. "So, how are we going to celebrate?"

"Snow cones," Gray suggested.

"Barbeque!" Natsu shouted out.

Left and right, members of the team were shouting out suggestions. All except for Carla and Happy. Happy was about to shout out 'fish', but then noticed how quiet Carla was. He asked, "What do you want to do, Carla?"

The team fell silent, waiting for Carla to answer. The white cat shrugged and suggested, "Does hibachi sound acceptable for you all?"

"Aye!" Happy seemed overjoyed by the suggestion. He only hoped that a hibachi restaurant had fish. The others murmured in agreement.

Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail, Makarov was sitting on the railing of the second floor, waiting for Mirajane to come up and give him a stack of written demands from the Magic Council. The dunderheads. Makarov bounced his knee for entertainment. He kept his thoughts to himself. _This is unusually long. Have they run into trouble? No, that couldn't be it. Regardless of whether they ran into trouble or not, I still would have received the paperwork. They came back to me and confirmed completion of the job. This stress isn't good for me._

"Master Makarov, they did it!" Mirajane ran over to him, cheerful as ever.

"What did those dunderheads break this time?" Makarov sighed and asked.

"Nothing!" Mirajane practically squealed with excitement. Makarov looked at her. No paperwork. Had Natsu's team truly kept themselves from destroying public property?

"It's a miracle!" Makarov jumped for joy. He stood up so fast that he became dizzy, but he felt it was worth it.

"And the Magic Council did respond to you," Mirajane informed him. "Master Jose practically vanished after he was stripped of his status as a Wizard Saint."

"Hmm…" Makarov grunted, thinking deeply. "How are you today, Mira?"

"Um, just fine, sir," Mirajane nodded, finding the question to be a bit spontaneous.

"That's nice. Wonderful weather we're having," Makarov noticed.

"I suppose it is. The sky has been pretty blue after that rainy day was had," Mirajane nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Yes, it has," Makarov nodded. "How is your boyfriend doing? Have the two of you gotten engaged?"

"I'm not sure who you're referring to, Master Makarov," Mirajane said slowly, caught in the awkwardness of the questions. "I'm not really seeing anyone right now."

"How is this possible?!" Makarov shouted.

"Master, your blood pressure!" Mirajane panicked.

"A regular bikini model like you?! Single?! Unfathomable!" Makarov ranted before passing out.

"Master!" Mirajane exclaimed, expressing concern.

"Remember, Mira, he's a tough old coot," Wakaba reminded her.

"Alcohol is his rival," Cana reminded Mirajane. "That was quite a day…"

"I guess you're right," Mirajane nodded.

Meanwhile, at a hibachi restaurant, the team selected a table to sit at. Lucy took a small ball of gauze out of her purse and gave it to Gray. The ice wizard asked, "What is this for?"

"Anytime you feel the need to take off your clothes, just bite it," Lucy instructed. She did not want to be kicked out of a restaurant due to Gray's habitual tendencies.

"Uh…okay," Gray nodded.

"What were you thinking of getting, Carla?" Happy asked curiously. He noticed that she had Mini Happy with her. "You brought along Mini Happy?"

"Mm-hmm," Carla gave a small, embarrassed nod.

"Aww!" Lucy cooed, finding the fact that Carla brought Mini Happy with her to be adorable.

"She brings it everywhere," Wendy informed the others, having only good intentions.

"Wendy!" Carla snapped out of embarrassment.

"No one is judging you, Carla. I think it's actually kind of cute that you bring him to all of the places you go," Happy told her reassuringly. He smiled at her. She looked into his kind, dark eyes and smiled back.

"Thank you, Happy," Carla thanked him softly.

"I hear that they make your dinner right in front of you at these places," Lucy whispered to Erza. "And they turn it into a performance."

"Dinner and show in one? I think I like the sound of that," Erza smiled.

Their hibachi chef came around. Natsu stood up and shouted, "What the heck are you doing here?!" Their chef was Totomaru, one of the old Element Four members from the currently dissolved Phantom Lord guild.

"Ever since Phantom was disbanded, I've been working here," Totomaru informed Natsu calmly. "Is that a problem?"

"Heck, yeah! I'm not letting you poison my pals!" Natsu yelled at him.

"Would you cool it?" Lucy pulled him back down into his chair. She whispered, "He'll be making the food right in front of us. If anything's off, we'll know."

"Oh! Okay," Natsu nodded and smiled at Totomaru, as if nothing happened.

"You really are an idiot," Gray muttered.

"What was that?!" Natsu got in his face and demanded.

"No fighting at the dinner table!" Lucy broke them up.

"Yes, ma'am," both Natsu and Gray backed off.

"Lucy, you're becoming more like me every day," Erza smiled in admiration.

"Um…thanks?" Lucy thanked her, assuming it was a compliment.

"Now, if there are to be no more distractions," Totomaru cleared his throat, "prepare to be amazed!" He started off by prepping the grill. He took their orders and made each and every order right in front of them. He even used his fire magic to cook some of the food, which seemed virtually pointless because it was all done on a grill anyway. Nonetheless, he truly did dazzle the customers from Fairy Tail.

"Wow!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Amazing!" Lucy added.

"Such skill," Erza admired.

"That's pretty cool," Gray gave his opinion.

"That food looks good!" Natsu drooled flames. Erza shut his mouth.

"The fish smells amazing!" Happy exclaimed as his order was put on his plate.

"It looks appetizing, too," Carla added as her own fish order was placed onto her plate. She tried hard to remain stately and keep from drooling, but the fish looked so delicious that it made her mouth water. She then realized that she was having fun. It kind of relieved her to be having fun. She had been so scared and skittish lately, worried that some foul marauder would come into her bedroom in the middle of the night and stab her to death.

"Enjoy!" Totomaru told them.

"Thanks! It looks awesome!" Lucy thanked him.

"I hope there aren't any hard feelings after the conflict between our guilds," Erza said to Totomaru.

"None at all. Honestly, I really like working here. I guess I should be thanking you. It was because of your guild that I've found this great opportunity," Totomaru smiled. "I'll be back with the bill. If you want any dessert, I'll treat." He walked away.

"That's so nice of him!" Wendy exclaimed happily. She was amazed that such a seemingly nice guy could have been a part of Phantom Lord. Then again, she did know Juvia and Gajeel. They were nice. Mostly. Give or take their own sets of personal issues. She shrugged, thinking that everyone had their own issues.

"It wouldn't be right if he paid for dessert! We must pay!" Erza exclaimed in a stately manner. Lucy silently hoped that Erza would ask someone to strike her.

"Normally, I eat fish raw, but this tastes amazing!" Happy exclaimed as he ate. Carla nodded in agreement. Something about Happy's boundless positive energy attracted her to him. She blushed and smiled.

"Oh, yeah! Good food!" Natsu said, gobbling a steak.

"Dude…" Gray watched Natsu devour the steak. "The way you're eating that…it's inhuman."

"It's just so good!" Natsu exclaimed.

Not much later, Totomaru came back and took dessert orders. He left briefly and came back again with the requested desserts. Erza tried to argue, saying that they would pay for the dessert and wanted him to receive a full paycheck, but surprisingly, she backed down from the argument. Totomaru said, "Well, think of it as my way of saying thanks. And my way of saying I'm sorry for messing with your guild."

"Apology accepted!" Happy exclaimed cheerily as he and Carla shared an order of mochi ice cream.


	8. Phantom Strikes Back

**Chapter 8: Phantom Strikes Back**

A few days passed. It was cloudy out that day. Carla was starting to ease up, but the paranoia was still eating her alive. She was scared. She wanted to hide away. On the way to the guild, Carla held Mini Happy, and Wendy held Carla. Wendy was worried. Carla hadn't been the same since the attack. Desperately, Wendy hoped that it would blow over. While walking towards the guild, Wendy happened to glance down an alley. She saw three dreadfully familiar figures. Trinity Raven.

"Too bad you'll have to accept your doom in this gloom, pretty kitty," Vidaldus Taka snarled.

"W-what do you want with Carla?!" Wendy demanded, trying to be brave.

"Nothing in particular," Ikaruga replied calmly, not the least bit frightened by Wendy, though having full awareness of her being a Dragon Slayer.

"You are to blame for the downfall of your home, Extalia, little one," Fukuro hooted.

"That may be where I'm from, but…it is not my home…" Carla muttered. She was losing her nerve fast. It was practically a miracle that she said what she said.

"If you don't have any interest in her, why are you attacking her?" Wendy demanded.

"I'll let you in on a little secret since you'll burn in (expletive bleep, sorry for any complications, etc)," Vidaldus said creepily. With his greasy locks, he pulled her over. "We were hired to exterminate every member of Fairy Tail, from weakest to strongest in that order."

Carla, having heard this, was heartbroken. Whoever sent Trinity Raven after her—no, after Fairy Tail—thought of her as its weakest member. She didn't feel strong. Maybe Trinity Raven's client was right.

"Let me go!" Wendy demanded, struggling in Taka's greasy tendril hair.

"You're a lot feistier than you look. Care to be my succubus?" Vidaldus offered, though something told Wendy that she wasn't going to be given a choice. He raised his guitar, getting ready to play a loud riff. "Rock of—"

"Open, gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!" a familiar voice called out a familiar name. The crab spirit, Cancer, appeared and cut Wendy free of Vidaldus' hair. Lucy was standing next to Cancer, smirking at the wicked rock star's outraged face. She suggested, "You really ought to rethink the whole 'gothic metal head' look."

"You dirty little—" Vidaldus Taka, even through his pale face paint, was turning bright red with anger. "NOW I'M REALLY GOING TO KILL YOU! BURN, BURN, BURN!"

"This guy seems like a sore loser, babe," Cancer said to Lucy.

"Yeah, I know. It's too bad. I'm sure if he wasn't so loud and obnoxious, he'd be a nice guy," Lucy sighed.

"Lucy!" Wendy ran to her and hugged her.

"Enough chatter," Ikaruga decided. Rain started to pour.

"Lucy, they're after Carla—" Wendy started to panic.

"I'm all over it," Lucy informed her, winking. Her pet spirit, Plue, came into the alley and led Carla out.

"In the name of justice, you will not get away!" Fukuro powered up his jets and tried to fly after them.

"Cancer, switch out!" Lucy commanded. She had been prepared for this and held a strategy meeting with her spirits prior to this. Cancer gave a subtle nod and warped back to the Celestial World, Taurus taking his place. Lucy lassoed Fukuro with her whip. "Taurus, hold me!"

"Whatever you say, Miss Lucy!" Taurus mooed perversely. Lucy rolled her eyes, and Taurus held onto her. His strength and weight, in combination with Lucy's whip, were holding the birdman back.

"How dare you defy justice?!" Fukuro demanded.

"You're no hero of justice to me, buddy!" Lucy growled defiantly.

"Moo, I love it when she gets all fired up!" Taurus admired.

Meanwhile, Plue was running with Carla. Carla asked the celestial spirit, "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Plue made a series of noises in response. Carla hoped that meant 'yes'. She wasn't thrilled about the rain. To protect her beloved Mini Happy from the precipitation, she tucked the doll in her shirt. Where was the real Happy? He was her place of solace. She felt safe in his hold. She needed him.

"Carla!" a voice called in the distance. Down the street, Happy was flying towards Carla and Plue.

"Happy!" Carla gasped happily.

"Aye, sir!" Happy nodded, flying faster now.

"Happy!" Carla sprinted towards him. She was so distracted that she tripped over her own two feet and skinned her knee. "Ouch…"

"Carla!" Happy exclaimed, now expressing concern. Plue made a series of worried noises.

"I'm fine," Carla rose to her feet. "I'm not as weak as I look."

"I don't think you're weak," Happy informed her. Plue nodded in agreement.

"I know you don't, but…whoever hired Trinity Raven thinks so, and they agree. I am weak…" Carla sighed, feeling defeated. "I'm just a weak little Exceed princess who probably wouldn't have hatched if my mother didn't sacrifice her wing…"

"Carla, you are not weak," Happy said firmly, taking hold of her paws. "You're so dignified, beautiful, and strong. It doesn't matter what race you are or what power you have. True strength—" Happy didn't get to finish his thought. He gasped when he glanced behind Carla.

"True strength…?" Carla urged, wanting Happy to finish. She looked over her shoulder to see what caught his attention. A man with dark violet hair and a creepy smile calmly and casually walked towards them.

"It's Master Jose!" Happy gasped. The look in his eyes went from surprised to fierce as he stood protectively in front of the female he deeply cared about. The man was, indeed, former guild master Jose Porla.

"Hello, little fairies," the former guild master of Phantom Lord greeted. He glanced at Plue. "And, uh, whatever _you_ are."

"You get back!" Happy growled fiercely. He had no intention of letting that sadistic man anywhere near his beloved Carla.

"Make me," Jose challenged. He was cocky, seeing two winged cats and some sort of dog spirit as no challenge. Mockingly, he took a step forward.

"You're the one, aren't you?! You hired Trinity Raven to hurt Carla!" Happy demanded.

"You certainly are smart. Maybe it's because of all that fish you eat," Jose smirked. Happy growled. Jose offered, "I'm feeling generous today. How about you run, I give you a two minute head start, and then I come after you to kill you."

"I won't let you hurt Carla! Not without going through me!" Happy snarled.

"Happy…" Carla felt tears form in her eyes. Happy was so brave. She thought he was strong because no matter what, he stuck to what he believed in. That caused her to believe in him.

"Two minutes starting…now!" Jose declared. He stood still. Carla and Happy sprouted their wings, grabbed Plue, and flew off. Jose waited patiently, feeling confident. This could easily be identified by the smug grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Lucy, Wendy, and Taurus were hurled out of the alley. Lucy looked to her left to find Plue and Carla standing there. She asked, "What are you doing? Hurry! Run!" Of course, this was part of the plan.

"Calm yourself," Ikaruga said flatly. "They're not the ones we're after. Mugestu style!" With a quick movement of her shoulder, Ikaruga made the ground around Carla and Plue erupt, cutting a deep circle into the street. When the dust settled, it was not Plue and Carla on the ground, but Mirajane and Lisanna. They had used their transformation magic to disguise themselves as Carla and Plue to buy the real Carla some time. Ikaruga flatly commented, "Clever, but pathetically pointless in the end."

Meanwhile, Happy took Carla and Plue to Fairy Tail's secret warehouse hideout. Reedus had taken Lucy there when Phantom attacked the first time. Their two minutes were up. Carla whimpered, saying, "He's going to come after us now. That man is almost as strong as Master Makarov from what I hear."

"It doesn't matter how strong he is," Happy said fiercely, taking both Carla and Plue by surprise. Happy looked at Carla with determined eyes. "I won't let him hurt you. I'll die before I let that happen."

"Oh, Happy…" Carla felt a tear trickle down her cheek. The blue cat truly was willing to give his life for her. She was so deeply touched that someone cared about her as much as he did.

"Ah, there you are," a nasally, somehow masculine French accent called out, seemingly from the ground. A man in orangey brown attire rose up from the earth. He had green hair and wore a monocle. It was Sol of the Great Earth. "Master Jose will take revenge on you Fairy Tail cretins one by one!"

A huge man wearing a green trench coat, a green hat, and a blindfold came in through the ceiling. It was Aria of the Great Sky, sobbing as usual. He bawled, "And we get to kill you! Isn't that sad?!"

"My friend, I think you have your emotions mixed up," Sol said to his comrade, shrugged, and smiled creepily at Happy, Carla, and Plue.

"Darn it. Not these guys," Happy muttered.

"What about them?" Carla wasn't sure what about the strange men made Happy uneasy.

"They're as powerful as they are weird," Happy informed her, clenching his paws into fists. "I guess these two remained loyal to Master Jose."

"Did you think that just because Juvia and Gajeel would join Fairy Tail that we would, too? That's so sad!" Aria sobbed.

"It doesn't matter what you do. I won't let you hurt Carla," Happy growled defiantly.

"Oh, ho, ho! Now matter what you do, little kitty, it will do you no good! Now, you will feel the wrath of Sol of the Land!" Sol held out his hand. The light of a magic circle danced in front of his palm. "Sand Magic! Sable Dance!" A vicious tornado of sand engulfed Happy. The razor sharp sand hurt him. When the tornado disappeared, Happy fell to his knees. Sol's attack had torn a hole in the ceiling. The earth wizard cackled, "Now you fall!"

"…What's wrong with falling?" Happy asked and managed to get back on his feet. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong with falling. Not if you get back up."

"The cat doesn't know when to quit! It's just so sad!" Aria sobbed. He blasted the two cats and the canine spirit with a powerful shot of air. Still, Happy got up. Aria cried to Sol, "We have to work together!"

"These cats are making me so mad!" Sol shouted with an angry French accent. "Roche Concerto!" Utilizing his earth magic, he sent massive rocks at the two Exceeds and the celestial spirit.

"Have another!" Aria offered, crying. He fired another powerful blast of air at them. Their combined power, the power of earth and air, brought half of the warehouse crashing down on them.

Plue went back to the Celestial World just in time. If he had been allowed to, he would have brought Happy and Carla with him. Sadly, they did not have that luxury, so Plue had to go back alone. As the warehouse came down around them, Carla flinched, but that didn't stop her from seeing Happy throwing his body over hers.

"Happy…" Carla whimpered weakly.

"I will…protect you…" Happy strained before collapsing.

"Happy!" Carla exclaimed. She shook him. "Happy, wake up! Please! Happy!" Carla found herself bursting into tears, desperately trying to wake Happy. He had become such an inspiration to her. He cared about her. He listened to her. He respected her. He cared about her. She couldn't lose that!

"They survived! That's so impressive!" Aria bawled. "One more will finish it!"

"Don't cry! Enjoy! This will be our moment of glory!" Sol urged.

"In what world is slaughtering two children considered glorious?" the voice of an elderly woman asked. Carla recognized that voice. Suddenly, the owner of the voice appeared. She was a relatively tall woman. She had pink hair tied in a bun. She also wore a red cape that had a wide collar. Coming off the collar were decorations that looked like the horns of a dragon. It was…

"Miss Porlyusica…" Carla smiled with relief before passing out.


	9. True Strength

**Wow! It went by quick. Though, I suppose stories do when you go out of your way to try to update every day. This will be the last chapter of the story. It was so fun writing this, so I kind of hate to see this thing end. I really hope you all enjoy reading this chapter!**

**Chapter 9: True Strength**

Carla woke up in what she realized was Porlyusica's house. She was in a nice, comfy bed with Mini Happy tucked under her arm. Her body felt sore. She tried to remember what had happened. Sol and Aria attacked them in the warehouse, Plue had to leave, Sol and Aria kept blasting Happy, and then the warehouse came down around them. Carla's eyes widened. Happy! She frantically scanned the room and found Happy lying in a bed parallel to hers. He was still unconscious. Bandages were wrapped around his head. He had some bruises. It even looked like he had bled before. His green bag was hung on a post of the bed frame.

"Happy…" Carla strained to speak. She felt bad because Happy was going to wake up and be in pain. It was all because he protected her. She glanced at a nearby wall mirror and saw herself. She, like Happy, had bandages going around her head. There was a Band-Aid on her right elbow and on her left cheek. She lifted the covers and saw a Band-Aid on the knee she had skinned, as well as a series of bandages going around her tail.

Porlyusica must have put a new dress on her, because she was not wearing the dress she wore before she passed out. Before, her dress and top were red and yellow in a vertical stripe pattern. Now, she was wearing a baby blue tank top with a hot pink Fairy Tail emblem on the chest, along with a denim skirt.

Porlyusica walked in as Carla examined herself. The old woman smiled and said warmly, "Ah, you're awake."

"Miss Porlyusica!" Carla seemed startled to see the elderly woman. The surprised look on her face faded quickly. "Thank you for saving us! What happened after I blacked out?"

"Well," Porlyusica sighed, "while I am averse to violence, I had to resort to it in order to protect you and your boyfriend." She smiled teasingly when she saw Carla blush a deep crimson at the word 'boyfriend'. "Slaughtering innocent six-year-olds! The nerve of those hooligans! This is why I hate humans! Honestly, I don't understand them! Those darned whippersnappers were taught a lesson, I can assure you that! As for Trinity Raven, they were punished as well!"

"Thank you, Miss Porlyusica," Carla politely thanked Fairy Tail's medicinal advisor.

"You are most certainly welcome, Carla," Porlyusica smiled. She held up Carla's old dress. It was in tatters. "Now, I doubt you're going to want this back…"

"Do what you want with it, and thank you so much for the new outfit," Carla smiled.

"Do you like it?" Porlyusica asked.

"I love it! It's so adorable!" Carla exclaimed.

"I have a jacket to match the skirt if you want it," Porlyusica offered.

"Yes, please! That'd be lovely!" Carla exclaimed. The old healer left the room for a moment, and then came back with a small denim jacket. "Wow!"

Porlyusica placed it on Carla's bed, saying, "I wouldn't recommend putting it on yet. Too much moving around. I will say, though, you were better off than poor little Happy."

"Is he going to be okay?" Carla asked worriedly, suddenly remembering Happy shielding her with his body. She started to cry, "Please, Miss Porlyusica, I can't lose him! He lives up to his name! He makes others feel happy! He makes me feel happy! He cares about me! He'd do anything for anyone! Don't let it be his time!"

"Hush now, child," Porlyusica gently and calmly put her index finger to Carla's lips. "He'll be fine, but I won't lie about the beating those hooligans gave him."

"Protecting me was the bravest, stupidest thing anyone has ever done for me," Carla sniffled. "Why would he give his life for me? I'm not strong. He's the strong one."

"Didn't you hear me? I said he'll live. Maybe he sees something in you that you don't see in yourself. It was his choice to protect you, and he was willing to bear any consequence that came with," Porlyusica informed her, trying to enlighten her with any wisdom that could help. "Look in that mirror. Who do you see?"

"I see…" Carla looked in the mirror. "I see a cat who regrets every second she ignored Happy…"

"What I'm hearing is 'I see guilt'," Porlyusica translated Carla's words into her own thoughts, paraphrasing them. "I know for a fact that Happy has forgiven you. Therefore, you're free to forgive yourself. One question remains. Will you?"

"…If Happy really isn't holding it against me, I suppose it's time for me to move on. Maybe you're right. I can't live my life by beating myself up about something everyone else has forgotten," Carla conceded.

"Of course I'm right!" Porlyusica boasted.

"Thank you, Miss Porlyusica," Carla thanked her. Suddenly, she held her shoulder and groaned in pain.

Porlyusica nodded, saying, "Yep. You're going to feel that in the morning."

"In the morning? I thought it was morning," Carla tilted her head.

"No, no. You were only unconscious for about an hour," Porlyusica informed.

"Trinity Raven," Carla started to say, head hanging low, "was hired to wipe out Fairy Tail members, one by one, from weakest to strongest. I suppose that makes me the weakest wizard in Fairy Tail."

"Car…la…" a hoarse voice strained. Carla, with tears in her eyes, turned to see that Happy had finally woken up. "You're not…weak, Carla. True…true strength…comes from the heart. Everybody has it…especially you…"

"Oh, Happy," Carla fought back tears. Thunder boomed outside. Carla realized that it was still raining.

"I'll fix something up for you two," Porlyusica announced and left the room, giving them some time to themselves.

"How do you feel…?" Carla asked worriedly.

"Good, now that…I know you're safe…" Happy smiled, which made Carla smile.

"I'm so glad you're awake. I was starting to worry," Carla informed him.

"I'd never give up on someone like you. I'll protect you like Natsu always protected me," Happy promised. Carla blushed, smiled, and felt tears of happiness form in her eyes.

"You told me that true strength comes from the heart," Carla reflected.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered, and then held a wound, groaning in pain.

"Take it easy! You've already worried me half to death!" Carla scolded. "I guess I learned where true strength came from a little too late, huh?"

"…Are you dead?" Happy asked.

At first, Carla thought he was joking, but she analyzed his tone of voice. It was a serious question. She shook her head and answered, "No. I'm very much alive."

"Then it isn't too late to learn where true strength comes from," Happy smiled.

Porlyusica knocked on the door, opened it, and announced, "You two have visitors." Lucky, Marl, and Shagotte came into the room.

"Oh, my poor little baby!" Marl wept and darted over to her son.

"It is okay, Mama," Happy consoled his mother and even managed to hug her. "Miss Porlyusica is the best healer that Fairy Tail has ever seen."

"Thank you so much for saving my son!" Marl wept her appreciation to Porlyusica.

"It's nothing. I was just doing my neighborly duties as a fellow Fairy Tail member and former resident of Edolas," Porlyusica shrugged.

"You're from Edolas?" Carla asked.

"That can wait for another time. Visit with your parents. I've got more fish to cook," Porlyusica left the room.

"Fish!" Happy exclaimed ecstatically.

"Nothing cheers you up like a fish," Marl smiled through her tears.

"Well, there is one thing," Happy admitted and looked past his mother, over at Carla. Marl turned to follow her son's gaze. She smiled when she saw his eyes meet Carla's. What she found even cuter was how both of the young cats blushed and smiled at each other.

Shagotte gently stroked her daughter's head. Fighting back tears, she said, "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."

"Mother," Carla spoke softly, smiling at Shagotte.

"My little princess," Shagotte smiled a sad smile. She was sad because she lost six years worth of a relationship that she could have had with her little girl, who was recently almost murdered. She noticed that Carla had Mini Happy with her, and her smile grew bigger. She was happy that she had given her daughter something that she loved deeply and took everywhere.

"I love you, Mother," Carla, in spite of her wounds, managed to give her mother a hug.

"And I love you," Shagotte tried harder to fight back tears as she returned the hug.

"Can you please do me a favor?" Carla asked politely.

"Yes, my child?" Shagotte seemed willing.

"Will you please carry me over to Happy's bed?" Carla asked. Shagotte smiled, scooped her daughter up into her arms, and carried her over to the bed in which Happy laid. "Thank you, Mother."

"Carla…?" Happy quizzically said his beloved Carla's name. She kissed him on the cheek, and he swooned like no man or cat had swooned before. "Aye, sir!"

"Kah! You're one step closer to being a man!" Lucky nodded approvingly.

"Humans! Why'd it have to be humans?!" they heard Porlyusica yell. "They're upstairs; now get out of my sight, you whippersnappers!"

"Hey, hey, little buddy!" Natsu opened the door.

"Natsu!" Happy smiled.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Gray asked from behind Natsu.

"No, you're shaved ice," Natsu informed Gray. Friends from Fairy Tail started pouring in.

Meanwhile, Makarov was fighting Jose in the streets of Magnolia. Makarov noticed, "I see you got your color back."

"I haven't fully recovered from your Fairy Law, but I will say that in a way, I've been enhanced by it. After being hit with your spell, I asked myself, 'What makes Fairy Tail so special that it gets to have its own spells?' Thus, my new invention was born!" Jose boasted. He held his hands in a position similar to the hand position of Fairy Law. Dark energy gathered between his hands.

"Hm. You're simply a copycat. Powerful as you may be, you know not of the heart that needs to be put in when casting spells, let alone making up your own. You don't know true strength. True strength comes from the heart!" Makarov spat in Jose's direction and started to prepare Fairy Law. "I'm giving you to the count of three to stop. One."

"You're an old fool! You always have been! You always will be!" Jose didn't back down.

"Two."

"I will never submit to a guild as feeble as Fairy Tail!"

"Three."

"Phantom Law!" Jose cast his new spell.

"Fairy Law!" Makarov countered Jose's spell with his own. Phantom magic and Fairy magic collided in an epic clash of light and darkness, life and death, beginning and end. The shockwave of the collision of magic was intense, but neither guild master gave an inch. "Because you do not know true strength, Jose, I will defeat you! Not only have you shed the blood of our children, but you have hired assassins for reasons that are as petty as revenge! Carla, who hadn't joined the guild until long after our war, hasn't been the same since you sent those terrorists after her! For that, and for the sake of the Fairy Tail envisioned by Master Mavis, you will be punished!"

"Try it, old blowhard!" Jose challenged. Suddenly, cracks of light appeared in Phantom Law's magic circle. "What?!"

"HA!" Makarov and Fairy Law overpowered Jose, who was thrown backwards, blasted by the governing light of fairies. "Have you learned your lesson, Jose? Or are you a glutton for punishment?" Jose did not have the strength to move or respond. "Whether or not you have learned something from this, I have somewhere to be. If I have to hear from the blasted Magic Council about this, I'll lose my head." With that said, he started making his way towards the East Forest, where Porlyusica's house was.

Ten minutes later, Makarov arrived at Porlyusica's house. His old teammate asked, "Is this everyone in your guild?!"

"No, not nearly," Makarov shook his head and smirked. "We're like a big family, aren't we?"

"Indeed," Porlyusica smiled and nodded. "You're the same as ever."

"How are Happy and Carla?" Makarov asked curiously.

"Beaten up, but alive. That Happy is insane, but certainly generous," Porlyusica commented.

"So I take it that Happy was the one who took more damage," Makarov assumed, and Porlyusica nodded.

"He reminds me of you, in a way," Porlyusica informed him. "Caring, compassionate, and mildly stupid."

Makarov grinned. "See? We humans aren't all bad."

"It would help your argument if Happy wasn't a cat," Porlyusica smirked.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Happy and Carla's friends and family were smothering them, asking if they were okay or if they needed anything. Gajeel suddenly came in, holding six young Exceeds. He called out, "Oh, Levy! Levy, are you ready to interview some cats?"

"Gajeel, I hope you didn't force them all into this!" Levy exclaimed, potentially worried for the cats.

"Are you kidding? I saw your advertisement, Miss Levy!" one of them said. "It's an honor to meet you!"

"You're even prettier in person!" another one said.

"Aww! Thank you!" Levy blushed and thanked the Exceeds.

"You're making her interview all of them?" Lucy asked Gajeel.

"Duh! How else is she supposed to find her dream cat?" Gajeel asked rhetorically. "If you want, I could hook you up with a cat, too."

"Uh, no thanks!" Lucy shook her head.

"Yeah. Lucy has Plue and Loke. She's all set," Happy said innocently. The six new, young cats all lines up to have their interview with Levy.

Porlyusica came into the room with a frying pan and clarified, "I'm only cooking for the felines! And how do you expect them to recover peacefully if you're making so much noise!"

"Don't you play a piano?" Gray asked Porlyusica randomly, which earned him a broomstick to the head.

"My beloved Gray!" Juvia gasped.

"I can't wait to start working with you!" Levy shook hands—err, paws—with a cream-color furred, bespectacled female Exceed named Ester.

"I was born to be a cat matchmaker!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"Or an Iron Dragon Slayer," Pantherlily added.

"Makarov, they're as rambunctious as ever," Porlyusica commented flatly. She managed a smile, though.

"Yeah! My Fairy Tail children are growing up! It brings a tear to my old eyes," Makarov nodded in agreement. "Even if I do retire, I don't think I'll leave the guild. I've been with it for a long time, but it's never long enough."

"Hey, guys! I have an idea! How about we have a party to celebrate bringing down Master Jose?! Are you with me?!" Natsu suggested.

"YEAH!" everyone else agreed.

"No parties!" Porlyusica snapped. Alas, there was a party. And the guests of honor were Happy and Carla.

While everyone had a good time inside, Carla and Happy limped out to the nearby balcony of the tree house so they could have some alone time together. They stood out there, paw in paw, watching the stars. Carla remarked, "They're so beautiful!"

"Just like you," Happy added. Carla looked at him, blushing and smiling. Happy blushed and smiled, too, realizing what he had just said. He chuckled sheepishly. Carla, flattered by the compliment and enchanted by its source, snuggled up to Happy. They continued to watch the stars together.

Suddenly, as if by fate, they both got the same idea. They sprouted their wings, lifted into the air, and started to slow dance. They didn't need music. They simply followed the rhythm that their hearts told them to follow. They didn't realize that their parents were watching fondly and proudly.

"Kah! Those two do seem to fit well," Lucky remarked.

"Yes," Shagotte nodded in agreement.

"They sure do," Marl agreed, tears coming to her eyes. She wasn't just watching her son dance with a girl. She was watching him grow up. Lucky was right. One day, Happy would be a fine young man.

"Carla, there's something I want you to know," Happy confessed as they danced in the air.

"What is it?" Carla asked curiously.

"I will always be by your side when you need me," Happy promised.

"I know. And I want you to know that you can count on me, too," Carla smiled and kissed his cheek. "Is that okay?"

"Aye!" Happy nodded and held Carla close.

**The End**


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